Suit Jacket Shoulders

I'm doing online made to measure and I need some advice on shoulder width. Would you increase/decrease shoulder width? If so, how much? (Btw, I see the huge collar gap and am having this jacket remade partly because of that.) Thanks!

17.5 - 18.25 is typical for 38R, and I mean TYPICAL, however you can see things wildly outside of that since the size is just a chest measurement really. 20 ish inches for pit to pit typically. Looks like you MAY need a half inch smaller but kind of difficult to say without a point of reference.

Impossible to tell with pic you gave, but that jacket looks to be one size too big full stop. Someone botched the measurements perhaps (if online service, I have to include the possibility that you botched your own measurements).

It is common when a chest measurement is made, they add 4" and then that is the jacket size. This works with most people but not all people.

A really cheap MTM operation would simply scale the shoulders according to a rule of thumb and then the sleeves and waist would be fitted according to your measurements.

It seems they did not work the jacket for your armholes and bicep size either, and the shoulders were no doubt generic according to some design rules they go by.

Is this a disaster? By Styleforum standards - yes. By general world standards, you will get by and the suit is serviceable. It depends whether you want to be in the 95% or the 5% that really go that extra yard.

If the latter, get your money back and explore RTW options if high class bespoke is beyond your means (monetarily or location).

Ivar, The way I see it is that it might take a couple trials to get something that works.

Klobber - this is also a disaster by my standards! But I know I botched the chest measurement since the chest on this jacket is 43.75" and when I measure my chest it's 38".... I will be asking to have the chest taken in by 2.75" (which might be contributing to the collar gap). I have been seriously frustrated by RTW..being short and muscular means pant rises are too long, or pants just don't fit. Also means short jackets are at least an inch too long.

If the jacket was sitting properly on your chest and neck the shoulders would be OK, perhaps even narrow. Shoulder measurement is not the wrong thing about that jacket - maybe you should ask in the tailors' thread.